Lessons Learned in Social Work Intervention Research with Diverse and Marginalized Populations: A Discussion about Planning, Theory, Adaptability, and Dissemination

Intervention research, the scientific process of designing, implementing, testing, and disseminating strategies to affect change, lies at the core of the social work profession (Fraser, Galinsky, Richman, & Day, 2009). Our goal in this round table session is to stimulate interactive conversations among social work scholars that will encourage the exploration and development of intervention research with diverse and marginalized populations. Offered from the perspective of lessons learned, presenters will facilitate round-table conversations by sharing their experiences with planning, applying theory, conducting, adapting, measuring effectiveness, and disseminating the results of intervention research. To facilitate discussion, presenters will briefly share experiences with conducting intervention research in a wide range of settings and with a variety of populations. The first presenter will describe the process and stages of developing intervention manuals and materials, and will discuss balancing the need for fidelity and adaptation when working in different settings providing services to youth (e.g., disaster setting, schools, after-school program settings). The second presenter will discuss the utilization of the logic model in designing and implementing interventions with social work clinicians who assess suicide. The third presenter will discuss the use of qualitative research for early developmental work in intervention design, particularly when work is centered on advancing social justice for populations marginalized by race and ethnicity. Finally, the fourth presenter will discuss how older lesbian and gay adults were involved in the development of an intervention to increase cultural competence related to serving sexual minorities among long-term care providers. Each presenter will also include information about the wide variety of theoretical frameworks used to inform their intervention research (e.g., social cognitive theory, self-efficacy theory, race theory, intergroup contact theory). Upon completion of this roundtable discussion, participants will be able to: (a) describe the processes required to develop intervention manual materials; (b) evaluate theoretical frameworks to guide the development of intervention research; (c) explain how the logic model can be applied to the design of intervention research; and (d) describe how clients from diverse backgrounds can be involved in the development of intervention research.

Reference Fraser, M., Galinsky, M. J., Richman, J. M., & Day, S. H. (2009). Intervention research: Developing social programs. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.